RI Global: Office of Communications
Contact: Adrian Brune, +1 347-759-9501
RI Global Unveils Two Funds to Support Disability Inclusion in SDGs
18 January 2018, New York, NY – To push forward new goals for a new year and bolster disability on the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Rehabilitation International (RI Global) has launched two important funds to support global work in disability and rehabilitation at the urging of RI President Haidi Zhang.
The Global Disability Development Fund (GDDF) will assist RI members – as well as members of other groups working in partnership with RI – in pursuing a broad base of activities relative to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and RI’s 2017-2021 Strategic Plan. The Africa Fund (AF) will support projects in disability and rehabilitation in Africa and assist with the annual membership dues of deserving RI members on the continent.
“Africa is a region that is very important to RI, and I look very much forward to working with the leaders of the disability community in the region to help address some of the challenges facing persons with disabilities,” said RI President Haidi Zhang, in a meeting with disability leaders and partners held in Addis Ababa in November 2017. “I am especially interested on addressing issues affecting women and children with disabilities.”
The multi-year fund provided to support RI’s global work comes from the Government of China through the China Disabled Persons Federation (CDPF), RI’s national member organization in China. Entitled to apply are members of RI, and individuals, enterprises, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intergovernmental organizations and governmental entities which may not be members of RI but have established partnerships with RI members.
All projects to be funded must be directly related to persons with disabilities, but the groups can work in education and employment, poverty alleviation, rights protection, assistive devices, accessibility, data collection and other initiatives. Information on both projects, including the application package, will be made available on the RI Global website.
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RI Global: Founded in 1922, Rehabilitation International (RI Global) is a worldwide network and organization that promotes the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs) through advocacy, habilitation and rehabilitation in order to achieve a world in which all people can enjoy active participation and full human rights.
